Author: Rasmita Jena

A serious accident has happened in Telangana, where a tunnel for the SLBC project has collapsed. The local minister, J. Krishna Rao, shared that rescue teams tried calling out the names of eight workers trapped inside but didn’t hear any replies. He mentioned that the chances of anyone surviving are “very, very remote.”

When he visited the site, he found that thick mud has piled up in the collapsed area of the tunnel. Although the tunnel is large, about 9 meters wide, nearly 30 feet of mud has blocked most of it. “When we shouted their names, there was no answer, so there seems to be no hope,” he said.

Rescue efforts are being led by a special team of “rat miners,” who successfully saved workers trapped in a similar incident in Uttarakhand earlier this year. However, the conditions inside the tunnel are difficult, and it may take rescuers three to four days to reach the trapped workers because of all the mud and debris.

The teams are also trying to pump oxygen inside the tunnel and remove water. The minister expressed concerns about how the trapped workers can breathe, as the air supply seems limited. The Indian Army, along with other rescue teams, has been helping since Saturday. Sadly, those trapped have been identified as individuals from different states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The Odisha High Court recently raised important questions about the idea of making it a crime for someone to have sex by promising to marry the other person. The judge, Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi, explained that thinking a woman only has sex with a man to get married is an old-fashioned, “patriarchal” idea.

The case involved a man who was accused of being intimate with a woman for over nine years while claiming he would marry her. The judge argued that sex should not automatically mean a promise of marriage. He emphasized that women have the right to make their own choices about their bodies and relationships.

Justice Panigrahi made it clear that marriage should be a choice made by two people and recognized by law, not just a reward for having sex. He referenced the famous philosopher Simone de Beauvoir to support his point that women should control their own bodies and the choices around them.

In his comments, the judge stressed that the law should not assume that a woman engages in sexual activities only because she plans to marry. He said this way of thinking is outdated and keeps women from making their own decisions about their love lives. He pointed out that sometimes, women might agree to things not because they really want to, but due to social pressures they feel.

The judge called for changing these traditional beliefs to acknowledge that women have the right to make their own choices. He stated, “If the law wants to be fair, it needs to change, recognizing that a woman’s body, choices, and future belong solely to her.”

PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti accused the speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, of acting like he is enforcing “martial law” while he should be protecting the rights of assembly members. Mufti made her comments on social media platform X after Rather expressed his unhappiness about the “unwanted publicity” around notices that lawmakers have shared about what they want to discuss in the assembly.

Rather stated that this kind of publicity might break the rules and asked members to stop doing it. However, Mehbooba Mufti argued that his job as Speaker is to ensure that the rights of all lawmakers are respected and not to censor them. She believes that keeping the public informed about what happens in the assembly is important and should not be viewed as against the rules.

Mufti pointed out that many important bills, like the recent Waqf bill, have been discussed openly for months. She said that sharing information about meetings and votes in advance helps to hold lawmakers accountable. She criticized Rather, saying it feels like he is enforcing “martial law” in a role that should be constitutional. The new budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly starts on March 3.